Rockie Charles

Although a longtime veteran of the music industry, singer/guitarist Rockie Charles and his soulful blues sound only began attracting attention during the mid-'90s. Born Charles Merick in Boothville, LA on November 14, 1942, he first emerged during the early '60s in a series of New Orleans R&B bands, taking inspiration from <a href="spotify:artist:76ox7koAGPytUmTZGU6zWn">Earl King</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:293zczrfYafIItmnmM3coR">Chuck Berry</a>; auditions for the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Minit%22">Minit</a> and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Imperial%22">Imperial</a> labels went nowhere, but during the middle of the decade, Charles cut a handful of sides for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Black+Patch%22">Black Patch</a>, including "Sinking Like a Ship." He soon relocated to Nashville, where he backed performers including <a href="spotify:artist:2eRG04xbRiI1AzY8uTCySk">O.V. Wright</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3amz8sGYUMDNb2wxf4PaTj">Little Johnny Taylor</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7lFgfQAjxpWc5YAKPb3p1m">Roscoe Shelton</a>. Upon returning to New Orleans in 1970, Charles established his own label, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Soulgate%22">Soulgate</a>, scoring a local hit with the single "The President of Soul"; however, with the rise of disco, his fortunes dwindled, and he spent the better part of the next two decades working as a tugboat captain and oyster fisherman. In 1994, however, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Orleans+Records%22">Orleans Records</a> producer <a href="spotify:artist:2gUcDbot3PeqpbDRkuljab">Carlo Ditta</a> responded to an advertisement Charles had placed in a local entertainment magazine, and two years later, the singer finally released his debut solo LP, Born for You. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi